Understanding our Sowing Information

• Sow seeds into soil or seed raising mix at the depth indicated on your packet 
• Keep soil moist but never wet or dry.  
• Be patient.  Some seeds take longer to germinate than others.  Germination should take 1-4 weeks depending on variety and weather.
• Protect seeds and young seedlings from pests, pets and weather

OUUIt is important to use a sowing method that suits the plant you are growing. If you use an incorrect method you may have poor results or your seeds may fail to germinate. Our seed packets will tell you the recommended sowing method(s).

Sow direct: 

This means that the seeds are best sown directly into the garden. Seeds normally produce fast growing and strong
seedlings. Young seedlings may still need some protection from harsh weather and pests.

Before sowing: Remove any weeds, cultivate the soil well and make sure the soil is moist; not wet, not dry.
Sow seeds to the recommended depth. If you have heavy soil consider covering seed with a seed raising mix or vermiculite to aid
germination.
Seed spacing is determined by the size of the mature plant. With smaller seeds it’s often best to sow a little bit more than needed then
thin them out later, leaving only the strongest seedlings. Larger seedlings can normally be spaced correctly at the time of sowing.
Soil should be kept moist at all times; never wet and never dry. If the soil gets too wet: the seeds may rot before they germinate.
When watering take care not to disturb the seeds or seedlings.
Protect from pests such as slugs, snails, birds and pets, and extreme weather.

Raise seedlings: This means seeds are best started o  in trays or other containers and then transplanted to their  nal position once they are established. These seeds normally produce slower growing and weaker seedlings that need more care and protection from weather and pests. Seedlings can normally be transplanted to their  nal position once they are large enough to handle (around 5-10cm tall).

Choose a pot, tray or other container that has good drainage and has enough depth to allow unrestricted root growth.
Fill containers with a good quality soil. Consider adding 1-2cm of 'seed raising mix' on top to aid germination; seed raising mix has
superior drainage and moisture retention, and is very light making seed growth very easy. (TIP: seed raising mix is essential for very
small seeds and seeds that are slow to germinate)
Keep containers in a sheltered position: indoors, in a greenhouse or covered in the garden. It is important to protect from extreme
weather elements and to maintain an even temperature. Keep containers out of direct sunlight; the sun can fry young seedlings and
dry out your seed raising mix
Soil should be kept moist at all times; never wet and never dry. If the soil gets too wet: the seeds may rot before they germinate.
When watering take care not to disturb the seeds or seedlings.
Take care when transplanting, try not to disturb the roots. Small seedlings are very delicate, don't let them dry out; it’s best to
transplant when it’s cooler or late in the day and always out of direct sunlight.

To get the most out of your plants make sure you give them the conditions they do best in. Sunlight and soil type are the most important factors here:

FULL SUN      Plant likes 6 hours of sun or more a day
PART      Plant likes 3 – 6 hours of sun a day
SUN     Plant likes less than 3 hours of sun a day

WELL DRAINED SOIL    Soil should have excellent drainage and not pool or become waterlogged after watering.

MOIST SOIL     Soil should retain moisture well without being too wet.

PLANT LIFE CYCLE     Always consider the life cycle of a plant before choosing a position. eg: You may want to plant perennial vegetables together in a different part of the garden, so they are not disturbed when soil is cultivated at the start of every season.

Annual: Plant completes its life cycle within 1 year (then dies)
Biennial: Plant completes its life cycle in 2 years (then dies)
Perennial: Plant has a life cycle of more than 2 years 

SOWING DEPTH.  This is the recommend sowing depth.
ROWS.     This is the recommended row spacing
SPACING.   This is the recommended plant spacing (Also gives an idea of plant width)  

HEIGHT.   This is the approximate plant height

Days to harvest, maturity or owering

This is simply the number of days until the plant reaches the purpose for which it’s normally grown (ie: the time it takes for the plant to fruit or  ower or until the leaves are ready to be picked, etc.)

FROST HARDINESS.    

Frost tender: Plants will be injured or killed by frost and cold weather. Plants will probably not survive winter.
Half hardy: Plants can tolerate some frost and cold weather but will probably still not survive a full winter.
Hardy: Plants have the ability to survive frost and cold weather. Plants should survive winter. *Note: Some plants may become dormant or grow very slowly during cold weather. Some young plants are still sensitive to cold weather until they are established. 

WHEN TO SOW.    

It is important that seeds are sown at the appropriate time of the year. All varieties are different; some prefer hot weather, some prefer cold weather, some like intense sun, and some like frost. 

The recommended season to sow each of our seed varieties is available in the product descriptions on this website and is also printed on our seed packets for sowing times more speci c to your climate we recommend you use our sowing chart

SOWING CHART.     Our sowing chart gives an overview of the approximate sowing times for common vegetables, herbs and flowers throughout the Australian Climates. Download our sowing chart here.

AUSTRALIAN CLIMATES

Tropical Includes: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Exmouth
High humidity summers with most rainfall in summer and dry, warm winters. Includes northern Australia from Exmouth (WA) across to south of Townsville (Qld).

Arid Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
Hot dry summers, winters can be warm or cool depending on the region. Includes a large area of central Australia from the WA coast to Charleville (Qld), Tamworth (NSW) and Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic).

SUB-TROPICAL.   VIncludes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, CFFs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Co s Harbour.

TEMPERATE.    Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Co s Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Co s Harbour.

COOL.   BIncludes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat,Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier Low humidity with most rainfall in winter; hot dry summers and cold winters. Some regions will experience frosts and snow. Includes Coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and alpine areas of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
The germination temperature listed in our 'how to sow and grow' section on each seed type is based on the ideal soil temperature (not
ambient temperature) for the speci c seed variety. Seed germination may occur outside of this window with decreased germination rate,
or seeds may lie dormant in soil until ideal temperature is met. Germination days are approximate and are based on the ideal
temperature; germination may be slower in cooler soil temperatures. 

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